Phase-resolved scalar distance bounds are derived for ekpyrotic, bouncing, and cyclic cosmologies, yielding a master condition that lower-bounds ε_ek from remaining distance after conversion and bounce.
A Critical Review of Classical Bouncing Cosmologies
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abstract
Given the proliferation of bouncing models in recent years, we gather and critically assess these proposals in a comprehensive review. The Planck data shows an unmistakably red, quasi scale-invariant, purely adiabatic primordial power spectrum and no primary non-Gaussianities. While these observations are consistent with inflationary predictions, bouncing cosmologies aspire to provide an alternative framework to explain them. Such models face many problems, both of the purely theoretical kind, such as the necessity of violating the NEC and instabilities, and at the cosmological application level, as exemplified by the possible presence of shear. We provide a pedagogical introduction to these problems and also assess the fitness of different proposals with respect to the data. For example, many models predict a slightly blue spectrum and must be fine-tuned to generate a red spectral index; as a side effect, large non-Gaussianities often result. We highlight several promising attempts to violate the NEC without introducing dangerous instabilities at the classical and/or quantum level. If primordial gravitational waves are observed, certain bouncing cosmologies, such as the cyclic scenario, are in trouble, while others remain valid. We conclude that, while most bouncing cosmologies are far from providing an alternative to the inflationary paradigm, a handful of interesting proposals have surfaced, which warrant further research. The constraints and lessons learned as laid out in this review might guide future research.
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Affine ANEC obstructs non-static flat and open FRW from being null geodesically complete while ANEC-satisfying, but allows explicit scalar-field realizations for closed FRW with NEC-respecting matter.
Bouncing solutions in quadratic curvature gravity with a scalar field satisfy null, weak, and dominant energy conditions but violate the strong one when using the scalar-field energy-momentum tensor, while all four conditions are violated near the bounce in the effective tensor formulation.
Modified gravity theories supply viable mathematical frameworks for inflation, bounces, and dark energy eras that match observational data.
citing papers explorer
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Phase-resolved field-space distance bounds in ekpyrotic, bouncing and cyclic cosmologies
Phase-resolved scalar distance bounds are derived for ekpyrotic, bouncing, and cyclic cosmologies, yielding a master condition that lower-bounds ε_ek from remaining distance after conversion and bounce.
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Affine ANEC selects the closed FRW branch for geodesically complete cosmology
Affine ANEC obstructs non-static flat and open FRW from being null geodesically complete while ANEC-satisfying, but allows explicit scalar-field realizations for closed FRW with NEC-respecting matter.
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Energy conditions of bouncing solutions in quadratic curvature gravity coupled with a scalar field
Bouncing solutions in quadratic curvature gravity with a scalar field satisfy null, weak, and dominant energy conditions but violate the strong one when using the scalar-field energy-momentum tensor, while all four conditions are violated near the bounce in the effective tensor formulation.
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Modified Gravity Theories on a Nutshell: Inflation, Bounce and Late-time Evolution
Modified gravity theories supply viable mathematical frameworks for inflation, bounces, and dark energy eras that match observational data.
- Geodesically Complete Curvature-Bounce Inflation